Land Rover Defender (1990–2016)

June 2002

'Black' edition launched at Canary Wharf Motor Expo. Comes either as a 90 station wagon or 110 double cab for £24,995 and includes leather trim, single slot CD, aircon, alloy wheels, chequer plate trim on wingtops and body sides chrome detailing on the instrument bezels and alloy knobs for the gear transfer boxes, ABS and four wheel electronic traction control.

July 2005

‘Defender Silver’ announced in 90, 110 Station Wagon and 110 Double Cab with range of options including A-Frame protection bar, driving lamp kit, hinged lamp guards, sump guard, black chequer plate styling kit and wing top protectors, half leather seats, CD player and tow bar with electrics.

Same 122PS 2.5 litre, 5 cylinder TD with 5 speed manual gearbox, two speed transfer box and permanent four-wheel drive. Three hundred limited editions for the UK on sale from 1 September 2005, with prices starting from £24,595 for the 90 Station Wagon, £26,995 for the 110 Station Wagon and £24,795 for the 110 Double Cab.

April 2007

Enhanced 2007 Defender on sale

Comes with new 2.4-litre common rail diesel engine, six-speed gearbox with wide ratio spread, a fully integrated facia, new seating configuration and high output heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. Prices will start at £18,645 for the Defender 90 Pick Up and rise to £26,605 for the XS Double Cab Defender 110, with an average price increase of £400. The Defender 130 starts from £22,655.

April 2009

Land Rover introduces new 110 Utility Wagon with five seats and payload maximum increased to more than 1000kg. Prices start at £23,970 plus VAT.

January 2010

Land Rover launched new 2011 Defender X-Tech Limited Edition. The exterior is available in Zermatt Silver, enhanced by a contrasting Santorini Black finish to the roof and wheel arches. And, for the first time, this Defender is fitted with unique gloss black 16 inch Saw Tooth alloy wheels, to create a sense of raw utilitarianism.

The interior is available in Ebony and the seats offer the addition of leather side bolsters, for a more refined finish. The Defender X-Tech is available in the 90 Hard Top Commercial derivative, with the full range of accessories also available to enhance capability and individuality. The Defender X-Tech Limited Edition will go on sale from March 2011 starting at £24,995.

August 2011

New engine launched

Ford-derived 2.4-litre engine is replaced with Jaguar Land Rover’s own 2.2-litre common rail turbodiesel with 122PS and 360Nm of torque. It increases top speed of Defender to 90mph while improving economy and emissions to 25.5mpg and 266g/km respectively for the 90. Prices start at £17,905 plus VAT.

July 2012

Land Rover launches XTech Special Edition with unique Orkney Grey or Nara Bronze paint colours. Part leather interior and air conditioning are included in price that starts at £27,995.

September 2012

Land Rover Defender customers seeking a higher level of specification can now enhance their vehicle even further with three additional options and a choice of two new exterior body colours, Barolo Black and Havana.

Options of a new premium seat design, upgraded in-car entertainment and a choice of four new contrast roof colours are now available to Defender customers. Substantial improvements were made to the specification last year, including the introduction of the EU5 2.2-litre diesel engine, ventilated discs and detail improvements to the three speed-limiting options were also added for fleet users wanting to benefit from effective control of fuel costs.